Which Face Peel Is Right for Your Skin?

Chemical peels work by lifting your top layer of skin cells. It’s an effective way of eliminating dead skin cells, and it causes a new layer of healthy cells to surface. These treatments are used to address a wide range of skincare concerns, including acne, uneven skin tone, aging, and more.

Here is what you need to know about face peel skincare and how to choose the best face peel.

How Do Chemical Peels Work?

Chemical peels contain acids that dissolve and lift skin cells. You will typically find ingredients like hydroxy acid, beta hydroxy acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, or trichloroacetic acid. Some products use a unique combination of these acids to achieve the desired results.

Once the product is applied to your skin, the acid molecules will get underneath the top layer of skin cells and separate them from your skin. This process removes dead and old skin cells and causes a new layer of skin cells to be exposed.

Exposing a new layer of skin cells causes the cells to become more active. They will produce new skin cells, and collagen production will increase. These new cells will also retain moisture and absorb skincare products more effectively.

What Are the Different Types of Chemical Peels?

These are the main types of chemical peels:

• Superficial peels
• Medium peels
• Deep peels

The main difference between these products is how far into your skin, the acid molecules can get, and how much skin they can remove. Superficial and medium peels are popular because there are few risks of irritation.

You will get more drastic results with a deep peel, and this type of chemical peel is recommended to address serious issues like severe hyperpigmentation or deep scars. However, there is a risk of developing sensitivity and irritation due to acid exposure.

Superficial and medium peels often contain alpha hydroxy acid, or salicylic acid if they’re designed to address acne symptoms. The Jessner Peel is a popular type of medium peel and is considered as one of the best facial peels for aging skin thanks to its mixture of salicylic acid, lactic acid, and resorcinol.

Chemical Peels for Age Spots

A chemical peel is an effective way of eliminating age spots. Age spots are areas that develop brown or gray pigmentation due to sun exposure. A chemical peel can remove the layer of skin that is hyperpigmented, and reveal skin cells that haven’t been damaged by the sun.

It’s possible to treat age spots with the best home chemical peel for hyperpigmentation you can find. Look for a product that contains lactic acid or trichloroacetic acid. At-home treatments will work for mild cases of age spots, but you should consider seeing a face peel skincare professional to treat age spots with a deep chemical peel depending on how severe the hyperpigmentation is.

Reducing Wrinkles with Chemical Peels

Chemical peels can do wonders for wrinkles because they cause a new layer of healthy skin cells to surface. That process stimulates the new skin cells and causes them to produce collagen.

Collagen is a protein that makes your skin supple. It gives you a healthy glow and helps keep your skin hydrated. Wrinkles and lines are less likely to appear if your skin is elastic thanks to healthy collagen levels.

The best chemical peel for wrinkles is any product that you can use on a regular basis to stimulate collagen production continuously.

You should try a superficial peel since it will limit irritation and sensitivity, and you should be able to use a superficial peel once a month to get rid of dead and old skin cells. You will notice a difference right away after using a chemical peel, but the only way to address signs of aging is to use the treatment in the long-term.

Chemical Peels and Acne

Salicylic acid is a common ingredient used in anti-acne treatments. It’s an acid that dissolves the oils and impurities that clog your pores. Cleansing the inside of your pores prevents sebum from getting trapped and causing breakouts.

You can find chemical peels that contain salicylic acid. They’re an effective treatment against acne because the salicylic acid has a chance of penetrating your skin and reaching a deeper layer than it would with a topical treatment.

Removing dead skin cells with a chemical peel will prevent deposits from forming in your pores, and it also reduces the presence of acne-causing bacteria on your skin.

Glycolic acid is another ingredient that can dissolve sebum excess and debris. Salicylic acid and glycolic acid chemical peels are treatments you can use on a regular basis since they’re superficial chemical peels.

You should notice an immediate improvement after using a chemical peel for acne, but keep in mind that acne can come back due to hormonal causes. Chemical peels can help, but they shouldn’t be the only acne treatment you use.

Getting Rid of Acne Scars with Chemical Peels

Acne scars are another skin concern that you can address with chemical peels. Acne scars form due to inflamed pores. When the pore swells, the follicle wall that surrounds it can break. Collagen fibers will appear to fix the broken follicle wall, but they will cause your skin to have an uneven appearance and result in the formation of a scar.

Acne scars typically aren’t very deep, and a chemical peel can lift those collagen fibers and reveal healthy skin cells. You will probably have to use chemical peel treatments for a certain period of time before your acne scars disappear entirely, but you should see a clear difference after your first chemical peel.

The best home chemical peel for acne scar is a product you can use without irritation. A glycolic acid peel is a good option since this acid will target the surface layer of your skin, but you can also use a lactic acid chemical peel that might be gentler on your skin.

Treating Hyperpigmentation with Chemical Peels

Hyperpigmentation can appear because of sun damage, inflammation, or acne scars. It can also be linked to hormonal and genetic causes.

You can treat hyperpigmentation with chemical peels that contain ingredients like trichloroacetic acid or glycolic acid.

The chemical peel will remove the top layer of skin cells and reveal a new layer of skin cells with more even pigmentation. Depending on how deep the hyperpigmentation goes, you will probably need to do several chemical peels to correct your skin tone.

A Few Things You Should Know About Chemical Peels

Chemical peels are a skincare treatment you should consider because it yields fantastic results, and you can use it to address a wide range of skin conditions. It’s effective, you will see a difference right away, and it’s a simple procedure.

You should also know that chemical peels are less harsh than treatments like microdermabrasion. Both treatments remove the top layer of skin cells, but chemical peels reduce physical damage to your skin.

However, chemical peels can be harsh because they contain acid. It’s possible to develop inflammation after this treatment. If you have dark skin, it’s best to opt for glycolic acid, salicylic acid, or retinoic acid since other ingredients might be too harsh.

Using a chemical peel will make your skin very sensitive to the sun since it will cause a new layer of skin cells to surface. It’s imperative to wear sunscreen to prevent sun damage. You should also avoid exfoliating for a few days after a chemical peel.

If you decide to do a chemical peel at home, read the instructions carefully, and don’t leave the product on for longer than recommended.

If you decide to go see a face peel skin care specialist, ask questions about the different treatments offered and choose the professional chemical peel that corresponds to the skincare problem you want to address.

At-home chemical peels can cause redness and flakiness. These symptoms should disappear within a day. A medical spa chemical peel can cause temporary swelling, and you might have to soak your skin or use an antiviral treatment while you recover.